“It is our duty as Americans to ensure the well-being of  our men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much for our nation’s freedoms.  I’m pleased to see that this bill continues to address matters within the VA Hospitals and reinforces the priority of exceptional, timely healthcare options for our veterans.  While the president plays games with the VA budget without addressing the real issues our veterans are facing, our bill makes strong investments in our veterans by putting the veteran and their family first.”

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill provides $76.6 billion in discretionary funding, nearly $5 billion above last year’s funding level, a 5.6% increase.  Of that increase, $4.1 billion goes directly towards providing our veterans with the resources and services they earned and deserve.   This increased funding will be used to enhance VA medical care and facilities, improve veterans’ wait-times for care, and strengthen oversight of the taxpayers’ dollars.

There were also provisions included to further the National Guard’s efforts to assist in securing our nation’s borders, a priority for Congressman Palazzo since the border crisis developed last year.   

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Palazzo is a Marine veteran of the Persian Gulf War and currently serves as a noncommissioned officer in the Mississippi National Guard.  He is also a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee where he serves as Chairman of the Space Subcommittee.